Warlords
by franklygeeky
Summary: In the feudal era, the need for survival makes things ever so complicated.
1. Chapter 1

Standard disclaimers apply…I don't own RK.

This idea has been bouncing in my head for a while. It will be a short fic and I have planned for it to be only 5 chapters long.

Enjoy!

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The feudal era was perhaps one of the most complicated eras to love in. With the collapse of the royal family all the lords and the soldiers they commanded came faced with the brutal fight for absolute power over the country known as Japan. Amongst these, the Mitsurugi Manor, Tsukini Manor, Houshi Manor and Hiou Manor were the most prominent. Each had battalions of soldiers ready to fight to their death and headed by strong men. Alliances changed rapidly to the point that it dissolved in its purpose. Smaller manors relied on bigger ones for support and if it was not difficult enough for the men, the women had it worse.

To the single young woman, who could not rely on her family for any reason, she only had 2 options: marriage to a man who, she hopes would do their best to protect them (for it was common that the lack of male presence resulted in brutal rape and murder in these turbulent times under the banner of vengeance) or the brothel. The married women too faced the latter option for if their husbands died (which more than often happens) – it was the sole means of employment opened to them for they held neither equity nor knowledge. Everything their husband had owed before would be returned to their lords or rechanneled to the new ones.

Kamiya Kaoru was raised in the most peculiar way. Being born shortly before the collapse of the once ruling monarchs and the eruption of mayhem, her father did the most unthinkable and taboo thing in society then. He gave her a unisex name which more often than not is favoured by males. He educated her in the art of swordsmanship and in the perils of the written word. Perhaps deep down, he wanted her to be free of the 2 options available to single young women when he was no longer around and created a 3rd door for her – disguise.

She never knew her mother for a bad bolt of fever at the age of 6 had wiped her memory out and by then her mother had been lost to the heavens above and her father never mentioned her name. Now at a tender age of 18, she was vice-captain of all the battalions of the Mitsurugi Manor. That position had been filled with blood spilled over the past 4 years since her father's death and the end of his unwavering protection. She had been careful in concealing her identity and developed a distinctly male voice for the sheer need of survival. If discovered, a fate worse than death awaited her for she had deceived her lord. She had taken a liberal approach to the interpretation of her late father's sword style: Kamiya Kasshin Ryu – the sword that protects. Protecting herself, her beliefs and the lives of the many men and women. Hence, when the blade is swung down, it would draw blood.

Tonight's mission was simple enough. According to the report delivered by the information wing of the Mitsurugi Manor which was headed by the prodigy that was Shinomori Aoshi, the Houshi Manor would make its move on their stock storage area – the bait she had helped create to cripple Houshi Manor's military strength. The 50 strong men whom she had brought along were all crouched low, blending into the darkness and positioned strategically awaiting the silent and near invisible approach of the men from Houshi Manor.

This was an important yet deceptively simple mission. Hence as vice-captain, she had followed, her superior, the captain of the military wing, had not. He had faith in her. Noticing the slight tweak of the grass and small change in the wind's scent, she signalled her men to take up new positions – they were here.

The night remained silent throughout the ordeal. This was Kamiya Kaoru's forte, strategic planning which resulted in unnerving silence. Silence was golden for it left the mind of the enemy in turmoil – did their raid succeed or fail? Were they going to be ambushed or are they already ambushed? It also had the potential to create irrational fear lined with make-belief security. Oh, the love of sweet silence.

As the 40 men retreated silently with their vice-captain, only the sound of crickets could be heard. This was part of the reason why she had managed to grasp the title of vice-captain and her men feared and respected her at the same time. Even Shinomori Aoshi had recognised her wit and skill.

When the 40 men and she returned back to the manor, they were greeted by their captain – Himura Kenshin, the notorious Battousai and heir to the Mitsurugi Manor. He gave a curt nod and waved his hand in a gesture indicating that they could return to their living quarters. Turning to return to his own quarters, he was followed expectantly by his vice-captain. Once reaching his quarters and sliding the shoji door shut, he sat down in a kneeling fashion to address his vice-captain whom he respected and had utmost faith in.

"You lost 10 men" he stated

"The men from Houshi Manor are wary of the darkness and silence" came her cool reply as she sat opposite him in the same fashion, her back facing the door. Her usual clothes – hakama and gi accompanied by the shiori coat, a reminder of the cool October air, were stained with little droplets of blood which were almost invisible under the wavering candle light.

"Killed them all?"

"Yes"

"Lord Seijiro would be pleased…with regards to the next mission, I would go personally."

"That won't be necessary, as you vice-captain, I alone should be good enough to deliver the final blow to Houshi Manor"

"Now, even my skills would rust if I do not make use of them. Besides, it is the finally standoff"

"Hai"

"Kaoru"

"Hai"

"Good job"

"Thank you"

Taking a deep bow, she got up and left the room to return to her own quarters. Closing its door, she released her long raven locks from its high pony tail – an indication of the warrior status, by tugging her hair tie. Taking the pail of water and cloth which she had requested to be placed in her room, she moved deeper into the dark interior of the room which was only kissed by a few rays on moonlight and dapped herself clean. Allowing a moment for her female side to show. Tomorrow, they would be journeying up north to divert the attention of the people at Houshi Manor on to them whilst Sanosuke, the next person in charge after her to lead a team to strike the heart of Housi Manor.

In a week's time, Houshi Manor would cease to exist and its servants reduced to mere names and lines in the history of this era. No one would record the grief and fate that awaits the wives and families of the proud men who would rather die than to serve a conqueror master. Putting on a sleeping yukata and retying her hair into a low ponytail, she unrolled her futon on the tatami mats of the floor. Slipping beneath its covers, she closed her eyes, awaiting the haunting dreams that would follow. Such was life at these times.

--

A/N: with regards to the usage of Manor instead of Clan or House, well, it just sounds better and last I checked it can be used interchangeably.


	2. Chapter 2

Standard disclaimers apply….I don't own RK.

Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciated it.

--

The next day was filled with anxiety and fear. All the men knew that the end of Houshi Manor was near and eagerly anticipated the almost certain victory and when Lord Hiko Seijiro himself came out donning his own battle clothes (which unlike the other lords did not consist of an armour) and addressed the men in a fiery speech, the morale could not have gone higher. Yet as Kaoru watched from her ranked distance, there were tears of fear in the eyes of the wives of the men who screamed heartily in their positions, eager to draw blood. The wives were to stay behind in the Mitsurugi Mansion to either receive their husbands in their arms or a cold letter informing them of their death, after which they were to depart from the mansion unless they had an able bodied son to assume the vacant position of their fathers. Lord Seijiro had been kind enough (though Kaoru suspected that it was merely a hostage taking situation) to let families stay together in the Mitsurugi Mansion and his kindness did not stretch beyond death. Charity had its limits.

Moving on to battle, victory was obtained within a week with sacrifices. Kaoru had personally gone down to deliver the letters of death on the night of their return to the mansion to the broken hearted wives. Many of whom were newlywed. She informed them coldly of when they had to leave and moved away to train the new recruits and plan against both new and old adversaries. Not a shred of emotion was revealed throughout the entire process – 2 years in the position had taught her that. At night, she would allow a silent tear or two to mourn for the dead, their families and to relieve some of the ache her heart had.

They would be leaving Mitsurugi Mansion in 2 days time to establish a branch in the conquered land of Houshi. It was a vast piece of land which they had spent a good 3 years trying to acquire and ran from the west through to the middle of the Southern Isles of Japan. Mitsurugi Manor occupied the east to the south of the Southern Isles and Hiou Manor occupied the northern most part of the Southern Islands. Tsukini Manor had full possession of the entire Northern Isles of Japan. Naturally, their next target was Hiou Manor and hence the movement from their current base. Much planning would be going on tomorrow at the crack of dawn during the captains and vice-captains meeting.

The heads of the 4 wings of the Mitsurugi Manor settled down at the crack of dawn in the grand hall of the Mitsurugi Mansion facing each other in 2 rows with Lord Seijiro sitting at the centre. Himura Kenshin sat to his right and Shinomori Aoshi sat to his left; the heads of the main 2 wings of Mitsurugi Manor – military and intelligence. Their vice-captains, Kamiya Kaoru and Hannya sat beside them. The head of the medical wing sat beside Kaoru – Doctor Gensai and his vice-captain Takani Takao and the head of supplies – Inoue Ryu and his vice-captain Fujiwara Nao sat opposite them. Lord Hiko controls the finances of the Manor and had no assistant. His previous assistant had been his late wife who had died 12 years ago during the revolt for which the Mitsurugi Manor then had still been loyal to the monarchs. No one had ever dared to press him to seek a new one.

"So," began Lord Seijiro, "Hiou Manor – what do you men propose?"

"My Lord," replied Inoue Ryu, "the supplies are currently low for we have not yet completed moving what little is left of Houshi Manor's. It should take about a year or 2 before we have enough to launch a full scale attack"

"I see…what is the status of our men Dr Gensai?"

"Many have lost a limb or 2 my Lord, because of Houshi Manor's usage of booby traps and poisonous darts. They would not be able to return to the battle ground again."

"Himura"

"The recruitment begun last night and the men from the last recruitment have now completed their year of training and ready to join the battalions. The numbers should be able to offset those who have to retire from battle"

"Shinomori"

"Reports are coming in that while Hiou Manor is keeping up their strong image, they are in fact crumbling within from internal revolt."

"Explain" demanded Lord Seijiro as a soft buzz made its way in the room. An internal revolt was most dangerous and perhaps even more so as compared to an external threat.

"Makoto Shishio, once warrior for this Manor and vice-captain of the military wing whom defected to Hiou Manor is behind it. He is apparently getting much support from the people all over Hiou Manor's lands who are sick and tired of their lord's tyrannical and extravagant ways. It appears to have subtle links with Tsukini Manor."

"That bastard" growled Lord Seijiro. He was furious that Shishio was rising and shot a glare at Himura Kenshin for it was his mistake that allowed Shishio to escape once his cunning ways was revealed. Yet the brunt of his fury was targeted at Tsukini Manor. Its head, Lord Amakusa Shuugei was his bitter foe and once ally in the days of the monarch. Silence fell as the occupants of the room, each contemplating what is to be done to conqueror the hated man who wielded a flaming sword.

"We need more information" came Himura's voice breaking the silence, "Any move now can be potentially detrimental to us"

"It is hard," admitted Shinomori Aoshi grudgingly, his voice following behind Himura's, "He knows our operations and while we have changed our methods, he operates on a tight act. We cannot afford to offend Tsukini Manor as we are now. I am afraid; we may have to take a defensive approach to this matter."

"We could play puppet" whispered Kaoru and all eyes turned to her for in silence, whispers could be heard. She flinched slightly under the intense gaze of all the men in the room and fell silent. She had forgotten that it was not a vice-captain's place to question suggestions from a captain. They were merely there for formality.

"Explain" came Lord Seijiro's demanding voice.

"Right now, Makoto-san's attention is focused on obtaining Hiou Manor. With our strength weakened after conquering Houshi Manor, he would expect us to not take any action soon. His links with Tsukini Manor are weak for Lord Amakusa is always wary of defectors. He would not be involved personally but rather wait for the fall of Hiou Manor by Makoto-san and destroy Makoto-san when he is weakened militarily. It is hence omni-present and not a shield for Makoto-san at all. All we need to do is to play puppet and act as Makoto-san wants us to. From his past reports, Makoto-san has always been of single mind, failing to take notice of the consequence of his actions. As Shinomori-san says, we need to take up a defensive approach yet at the same time hone our attacks to exploit whatever opportunities that arise immediately. We have geographical advantage but I am not too sure about Tsukini Manor, it has remained dormant so far." She explained, waiting for the response of the men to her ridiculous idea. Himura was giving her a cold look while Shinomori looked thoughtful.

"It could be done" came Shinomori's voice.

"What be you decision my Lord?" asked Himura Kenshin, looking at Lord Seijiro, his mentor, teacher and savior.

Hiko closed his eyes in thought, ignoring the image of the familiar blue eyes of the youth which tugged at him. He slapped himself mentally, he should really get to know this subordinates beyond the captains better. This was the first time he met the eyes of the youth and spoke to him. Opening his eyes when he reached his decision, he spoke in clear voice, "We would do as he says. Good thinking youth, Amakusa is remaining dormant because he is waiting for Mitsurugi Manor to get strong enough to challenge him. He would not care about Shishio or Hiou Manor as he already controls the entire North Isles. His enemy has always been me alone."

Rising from his position, Lord Seijiro declared an end to the meeting and all captains and vice-captains were now free to enjoy their day of celebration with their men. Everyone appreciated Kaoru's skill and intelligence and Kenshin was no exception. However, he could not help but to feel threatened. It had been a long time since someone could fight as gracefully as Kaoru did. When Kenshin's eyes first met the blue of Kaoru's 3 years ago when he was recognized as the best recruit, the same familiarity tugged at him as it did Lord Seijiro a few moments ago. Kenshin found himself entranced by them and with Shishio's betrayal and Kaoru's skills, he appointed Kaoru as his new vice-captain just so he had the excuse to look at those enchanting blue eyes and satisfy his need. The captains and vice-captains split their ways to different forms of merriment. Those with wives returned to them and the single men, which Himura Kenshin undoubtedly was, headed of the thriving red light district. They were men after all and were faced daily with the possibility of death.

Kaoru had taken the opportunity to slip into Takani Megumi's room to give her heartfelt thanks for treating her wounds. Takani Megumi was niece to Doctor Gensai and sister of Takani Takao. She was the sole person (apart from Misao, Aoshi's wife) who knew that Kaoru was a female after a chance discovery 3 years ago while tending to her shoulder wound. Since then, Takani Megumi was her sole physician. Takani Megumi had the skills in an environment that lacked doctors and was fortunate enough to learn and practice the art of medicine under protection from her uncle and brother in the Mitsurugi Manor. She was betrothed to Sano after a long turbulent relationship involving Kaoru as a third party for which Sano competed against for the healer's affection. Both of them had a quiet laugh as to what Sano's reaction would have been if he knew Kaoru was in fact a woman.

Taking her sleeping robe and toiletries from her room in the evening after spending the afternoon with Megumi, she walked out of the Mitsurugi Mansion, into the forest that surrounded the place. Up the hill and eventually to a small clearing where a small stream flowed through before reaching the river below. She had discovered it by accident 2 years ago. Ensuring that no one was around, she released her hair from its high ponytail, allowing her raven locks to cascade down to her waist. Slowly, she removed her shiori, hakama and gi to reveal her smooth creamy feminine skin to the darkening sky and reached up to release her chest of its breast bindings.

Fortunately for her, her disguise began at the age of 14 when puberty hit. With the presence of breast bindings, her breast never grew much and formed little moulds on her chest which could be easily covered with clothes and small amounts of binding. Her small stature also played a role in such developments and no one had made a comment for her captain himself was lacking in the height department. Taking a small tentative step into the stream as she set her dirty clothes by the side of her clean ones, she shivered slightly as the sensation of the cold October water ran up her body. Slowly sinking in, she let out a soft feminine moan of comfort before setting about to wash herself, unaware that someone had followed her carefully since her departure from Mitsurugi Mansion, hiding amongst the tree branches.

Himura Kenshin was not a stalker; he did not need to stalk. He had tones of women throwing themselves at him for the sake of an opportunity to be the future mistress and lady of the Mitsurugi Manor. When he had followed his vice-captain that evening (after an afternoon of avoiding his men who would urge him to take part in manly activities at the brothel) , he had meant actually to congratulate her for coming up with a good solution and well helping save his neck more than once throughout the course of 2 years since her appointment.

He had meant to call to her in his usual indifferent manner but when Kaoru had left the room with a pretty girlish smile on his face, he found himself intrigued and followed. He was a girl! A woman! While a part of him was satisfied that the attraction he had began to feel 3 years ago was not a result of him becoming gay from the lack of female company, another part was enraged – she had lied! That part however, was slowly dying as he watched her bathe. 'Great', he thought, 'now I am a pervert.'

His-no, her blue eyes twinkled in merriment as she enjoyed her bath whilst the day gave way to night. The first rays of moonlight highlighting the smooth skin that was constantly concealed beneath the layers of cloth. 'Eyes,' he thought. The only people he knew with such eyes were Hiko's late wife and…Hiko's daughter.

He froze at that thought…could it be? Shaking himself free of his thoughts, he jumped off the tree and in his state of preoccupied-ness; accidently cracked a twig with his landing. Thankfully he was away from the wind otherwise; she would have felt his presence.

"Who is it?" came a sharp female voice, he knew was hers. Damn her voice as a woman sounded good. Kaoru mentally kicked herself for letting her feminine side slip to the surface.

Receiving no answer, she waded softly and swiftly to her robes, eyes peeled onto her surroundings as she slipped a hand within its folds to pull out a single kunai, a gift from Misao, the greater woman behind the great man – she had helped Kaoru conceal her identity from her husband. Closing her eyes, she mentally narrowed the possibilities of the person's whereabouts in accordance to where she heard the twig crack and within a minute after her question, the kunai had embedded itself into the trunk Kenshin once was at. He had escaped to a neighbouring tree – he was her captain after all. If he left the scene totally, she would know, he had no choice but to remain on the scene and hope fervently that she would not discover his presence.

Hearing a soft splash of water, he leaned away from the tree closer to the shadows in case he needed to bolt when a rabbit decided to hop out of its position a feet in front of the tree he was previously at and into the small clearing. He held his breathe.

"Oh, it is only you…" came her soft whisper and he slacked against the tree trunk. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her (she was wrapped in only a towel with her hair wet and clinging onto her shoulders and back) approach the tree where the kunai was embedded to yank it out and scan her surroundings. Once satisfied, she knelt down to pet his new saviour – the rabbit with a small smile on her face. He recognised that smile from his younger days. He was now 25 years old but he would never forget the sweet innocent smile the toddler of 5 gave him when he was 12 after he had retrieved her ball from the bushes. It was the most innocent smile anyone had given him. Taking advantage of her moment of inattentiveness, he escaped without disturbing a blade of grass. He returned to the Mitsurugi Mansion, uncertain of what course of action he should take. But he was certain, she would be kept safe.

--

Lord Hiko Seijiro spent the night of celebration alone. With his jug of sake, he retreated to his room and opened up the trunk that lay at the right hand corner of it. Settling the jug on the floor, he fumbled through its contents to pull out a scroll; unravelling it to reveal a portrait of a woman with raven locks and stunningly blue eyes. She wore a kimono of 5 layers indicating her royal status and held in her hands a bouquet of cherry blossoms. In the portrait, she was smiling, her face etched with happiness. This woman was Princess Kya – the last princess of the forgone monarchy and Hiko Seijiro's late wife. Tomorrow was her death anniversary – 12 years ago, it was the rainy day he had failed to protect her when he was taken by surprise, for the escape route for his wife and daughter had been snuffed out by the enemy. His wife's body was found stabbed and humiliated, the entire battalion of guards lay dead but his daughter left no trace of being found. The men who had pursued them paid dearly with their lives.

Thinking back on the youth whose eyes he met today for the first time (for he almost never speaks to vice-captains), he could not help but to wonder about them. They were the same sapphire blue as his wife's but the fact was that he never had a son, he had only one little girl – Seijiro Ai, who was the apple of his eye. He closed his eyes and shook his head free of the foolish incoherent thoughts and rolled the scroll up, placing it back into the trunk and shutting it. Picking up his sake jug, he walked out of the room to settle himself on the veranda to gaze at the full moon which graced the skies tonight. Taking a good long drink out of the jug he sighed. Tonight was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

Standard disclaimers apply, I don't own RK.

A/N: For those wondering, I have written the 4 chapters of this story already; except, it is not typed out yet. P heh. I prefer to handwrite my stories first rather than type them straight on the computer. The 5th one is being difficult and may lead to a possibility of a 6th. I am aiming to complete this story by this weekend; hopefully before my muses die on me (they have a short life span).

Thanks so much for the reviews, they make me really happy.

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Makoto Shishio smiled cunningly as he approached the Lord of Hiou Manor, his sword unsheathed and hang threateningly on his hand by his side. "You bastard" hissed the man of 40 as he retreated cowardly and unarmed up against the wall.

"Shishio sama…please hurry up and kill this old fool" implored Yumi, mistress of Hiou Manor, wife of the Lord and lover of Shishio. Her role had been significant in the success of this venture and she stood behind Shishio dressed seductively with her red kimono falling pass her shoulders, accentuating the swell of her breasts but going no lower. The sound of a man gurgling on his own blood filled the room soon after and Yumi moved to embrace Shishio from behind, pressing her breasts against his back as he sheathed his sword. His skin was hot and all that was exposed were bandaged – the parting gift Battousai had given him when he had betrayed the Mitsurugi Manor. The flames were meant to kill him but he had lived and made an alliance with the Lord of Hiou within the same week.

"Yumi," he whispered his hand tugging at hers so that he could turn around and face her.

"Hai" she replied in the same whisper.

"We have succeeded. You are free…this calls for a celebration, no?"

"Yes" she replied obediently as he bent down to kiss her passionately. His hands wondered around her body, earning breathless moans from her. Laying her down on the floor, a mere 5 feet away from the dead body of the once proud Lord of Hiou, he stripped her of her clothes and proceeded with his celebration. He had forgotten that in the months it took to bring Hiou Manor into his control, Mitsurugi Manor had been watching silently and waiting for its revenge.

--

"He has conquered Hiou Manor" reported Shinomori Aoshi at the crack of dawn during the meeting after a few hours of its actual occurance.

"Good" replied Lord Seijiro. "Kamiya," he called and Kaori whipped her head up to meet his gaze, "What do you propose?"

"I propose that we strike now, while Shishio forces are weak and when he has not yet formed a defence against us" she said confidently. There was a murmur of agreement amongst the captains. Over the past few months, Lord Seijiro had given her the opportunity to voice out her thoughts and propose ideas. Each time, his eyes would bore straight into hers as though it was searching she could not quite make sense of.

"Himura! Ready the men and set the strategy with Kamiya. This meeting is now dismissed."

All of them stood up and bowed as Lord Seijiro left the hall and then began to follow suit. Ever since the day she first voiced her opinion in the meeting, Himura had been acting weird and in general defensive when the subject of her is brought up amongst the other captains. Kaoru had attributed it to the fact that he felt threatened by her. When she had sought him alone after a month or 2 of its beginning, he had calmly told her that it was all in her mind and that he would be a fool if he thought her as a threat for she had only at best equalled him during their spars. The strangeness however, continued.

Kenshin had asked Aoshi for Kaoru's background information on the pretext of requiring it to see if he could be convincing on a certain secret mission of sabotage at Hiou Manor. Aoshi merely handed him Kaoru's details telling him that Hiko had asked for the same thing before him and whatever that was their fascination with Kaoru, he simply was not interested. The main reason for this was because he had never seen or interacted with Hiko's late wife and daughter, joining the Mitsurugi Manor a good 11 years ago at the age of 13, after it all occurred.

Her background was the usual, she was raised in Nagasaki by her father, Kamiya Koshijiro who taught the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu and owed a dojo. Nothing new there, what made him raise his eyebrows was Nagasaki was where Lady Kya's body was found. But that alone did not explain anything and neither did it connect to the links Seijiro Ai had left behind.

"Himura- san?" asked Kaoru as she waved her hand before Kenshin's face, snapping him out of his daze.

"Are you alright?" she asked concern lining her voice. They had left the meeting room a few minutes ago to proceed to his quarters to plan their line of attack. As he sat down in attempt to formulate a plan he had slipped into a daze, reminiscing the events of the past few months.

"I am fine" he bit out, annoyance lining his voice. 'Focus!' he chastised mentally. Listening to her line of strategy he let of a rare smile and added his own valuable input. As she wrote what they had discussed down on paper and list the amount of supplies required, he studied her profile and wondered briefly, what she would look like in a kimono. Slapping himself mentally, he returned his attention back to the plan they had formulated, trying to find its exploitable flaws. The plan was simple, a raid to take place in the middle of the night by 2 teams. The aim was to destroy what little military supplies Shishio had left, along with Hiou Manor's own and to obliterate the sole military base stationed a good 2km away from Hiou Mansion. He would lead 2 battalions of men as 1 team in an open strike whilst Kaoru would lead 1 battalion of men as the 2nd team to destroy the military supplies. The attacks would occur concurrently. The remaining 2 battalions of men would stay behind to guard the branch of Mitsurugi Mansion in the lands of Houshi, where they currently were and the main Mansion in Miturugi's lands.

It seemed like a good plan. Now all Kenshin needed was to verify with the captain in charge of supplies if they had enough and Lord Seijiro's approval. Handing the completed draft to Kenshin, Kaoru bowed deeply and left his quarters. She was to ready the men for battle. If the plan goes through, this would occur in 3 days time.

--

Kaoru and her men crouched below, hidden by the trees and shrubs which surrounded a small clearing, a cave and a small stock shed. There were guards around but not enough to outstrip the amount of men she had brought along. According to Shinomori's information, the guards should be changing in 5 minutes time. Transition was always the most vulnerable period and Kaoru intended to capitalise on it fully.

As the time drew near, Kaoru signalled her men to get ready. As the guards began to move away, Kaoru signalled her men to charge. In the distance, she could hear the battle cries of the other battalions as they launched their attack simultaneously.

Swords clashed and sparks flew as men fought for their lives. Fire raged as torches were tossed into the stock shed burning what it held inside and as victory drawled near for them, the tables turned. Suddenly, hundreds of men dashed out of the cave heading for combat. Kaoru's eyes widened, Shinomori never reported that. They were drastically outnumbered, eyeing the burning shed, she bellowed to her men, "Pull back!"

The game had changed on them as they fought to pull back but one by one her men fell to death. The cave was Shishio's true hide out. Slashing through soldiers after soldiers, her own sword found itself clashing against one wielded by a boy no older than she with brown hair and eyes. His face lined with an unnerving smile.

She jumped back to get some distance, vaguely aware of her own wounds on her limbs, her loose hair, the soldiers that encircled her and the youth and the fact that she was the sole survivor of her battalion. Her opponent now was none other than the notorious TenKen – Seta Soujiro, disciple of Makoto Shishio and once her sparring partner in the Mitsurugi Manor.

"Vice-captain Kamiya Kaoru I believe" he said with a smile and a light hearted tone.

"TenKen" she acknowledged, raising her sword to her eye level, slipping into an attack stance.

"It is an honour to spar with you again after so long" he replied, the unnerving smile still on his face.

"Likewise" she muttered coldly. She was not in her best condition now. She was battle worn and wounded. Damn, this could be her last fight.

Charging at him with all her might, they began their dangerous dance of swords, each aiming to kill the other. Each time she narrowly dodged his attack, small pieces of her clothing would be cut and the skin beneath it grazed. It hurt and to make matters worse, runs the risk of divulging her true sexuality. She had to finish this soon before she acquired more wounds and before anything was discovered. In her haste to finish the long drawn battle which had both panting and suffering from near fatal wounds, she had miscalculated, resulting in a sharp knock at the back of her neck and darkness followed.

Soujiro panted heavily, thrusting his sword on the ground to hold him steady. Vice-captain Kamiya Kaoru truly lived up to his name. Looking at his unconscious opponent, he forced himself up against the pain from the various wounds he had obtained (in particular, the deep gash that ran from his left shoulder to his waist) and sheathed his sword.

"Seta-sama! The enemy…"came the voice of one of the soldiers.

"Yes, he lives. I want him alive for interrogation"

As 2 soldiers moved to pick up the fallen enemy, their eyes widened.

"Seta-sama!"

"What?" came Soujiro's annoyed response as he halted in his tracks back to the cave.

"Kamiya Kaoru is a woman"

Soujiro froze, his lips losing its smile for the first time ever since the death of his family. Turning immediately, he returned to the side of his fallen opponent to verify it himself. Like his men, he was stunned…how could a lone woman possibly have fought they way she did. Glancing at her pale form which was fighting to live, he wracked his brain on what is to be done. A woman…she would have no use at all and if anything, either way death awaited her. Her sharp gasps of air broke him out of his thoughts as the blood pool which surrounded her began to widen ever so slightly. The girl was fighting to love and blast it; he had affections for his ex sparring partner still.

"Take her away to my quarters and have someone treat her wounds" he ordered, "woman or not, she is still the vice-captain"

"Yes sir!" the soldiers answered, their eyes glittering with lust, thinking of the various torture methods that could be used to obtain information.

"Men!" Soujiro called out after them.

"Yes!"

"Do not touch her in any way" he ordered, authority taking his voice as the same unnerving smile slid back into place on his face.

"Yes"

Following the men into the cave and down its steps, Soujiro headed straight to the medical room to have his wounds treated before moving swiftly through the corridors and avoiding the booby trapped rooms to reach Shishio's quarters. Knocking on the door, he waited for Shishio's gruff voice to prompt him to enter before telling his teacher and master of the news.

--

Kenshin was fuming, his strikie had been a success and he had returned back to the branch of the Mitsurugi Manor located in the past lands of Houshi but Kaoru had not and it was a good 2 hours past the agreed time. Aoshi's team had been despatched to find out what had happened and they were to return soon with Kaoru otherwise the consequences would be dire.

The strike had been successful mainly because unusually few soldiers were present in that sole base camp. His fighter's instinct immediately knew something was wrong and he sourly hoped that somehow Kaoru would be alive. Aoshi's team had returned in the twilight hours of the day with grim looks on their faces. Reporting solely to Aoshi, who immediately called for an emergency meeting.

Kenshin was seething with anger as he settled down with no Kaoru by his side. Aoshi's grave face remained as he delivered his report that the entire battalion led by vice-captain Kamiya Kaoru had been annihilated due to their proximity and lack of numbers to Shishio's cave base., which his team did not discover till tragedy struck.

Lord Seijiro's face was stone cold and no emotions ran through it. Thinking for a moment as he observed Himura's tightened jaw and clenched fists.

"Vice-captain Kamiya will be mourned as will his battalion but their small sacrifice had given us an exact detail of Shishio's new method of operation and base-"

"Small?"hissed Kenshin, interrupting Lord Seijiro, no longer able to keep his anger silent. His eyes burning with amber as he glared at Hiko, his mentor and teacher.

"I lost her" he continued, his glare unwavering.

"Her?" questioned Hiko as he equalled Kenshin's glare, taking on a dangerous tone, ignoring the small tugging at his heart.

"Lord Seijiro!" cried a soldier as he yanked the door of the meeting hall open, collapsing onto his knees panting hard.

"What?" demanded Hiko, swinging his glare from Kenshin to the young soldier.

"Shishio sends a message" the young soldier replied, holding up a letter and a small lock of hair in his trembling hands.

"Bring it over!" cam the order and the young soldier walked over trembling ever slightly to hand the letter into Lord Seijiro's hands. Kenshin blinked as his eyes caught on the lock of hair that was tossed immediately on the floor by Lord Seijiro – it was Kaoru's.

Pulling the letter open, Lord Seijiro read its contents with widened eyes. His initial furious expression gave way to a shocked one.

"Ai" he whispered before dropping the letter on the floor, his eyes focusing on the lock of hair on the floor. It was the same raven coloured as her mother's. Clenching his fist, he whipped his head up and addressed the men who had been observing him.

"Shinomoru! I want you to analyse the cave area right this instant. Study its geography and analyse it for all its escape routes by tonight. Inoue! I want my men supplied with food and water to allow them to be battle ready by tonight. Himura, ready the men and have them stationed around that cave. We are going into Shishio's lair tonight."

"We?" questioned Kenshin, as he eyes the letter which Hiko had dropped.

"Yes, we. I, you and Doctor Gensai" he answered with affirmation, "the other captains stay guard of Mitsurugi Manor!"

"I as well my Lord?" asked Doctor Gensai as he blinked. Though he could fight, this was the first time in a long while he had been asked to come.

"Yes," replied Hiko as he looked at Gensai in the eye, his eyes softening a bit, "Shishio says he has my little Ai"

Kenshin's eyes widened and Shinomori did a double blink, raising a questioning eye brow at Kenshin for he was the lone captain with no knowledge of the incident 12 years ago. Kenshin will clarify him on it later. The other captains accepted their Lord's orders and prepared accordingly – Lord Seijiro's daughter was all he had left of family.

--

Kaoru blinked many times before the blurriness of her vision became clear. By all accounts, she should have been dead; somehow she had managed to defy that. Letting out a soft groan, she tried to get up when sharp shots of pain ran up and around her body. Yes, there were consequences to such defiance. Biting her lip to prevent the cry of pain from emerging, she sat up and noticed that she had been lying on a futon, had a blue kimono on and was in a foreign place. She had escaped death to enter a living hell. Her hair was still long and untied but the left section was distinctly missing 2 inches.

Scanning around, to find a weapon, she let out a groan of frustration when none could be found. The room only consisted of the futon she laid on, a pillow and candles which offered little light in the windowless dark room. When the door creaked open, she instinctively pulled the pillow into her right hand and tossed it at the figure that entered. The figure dodged it,

"My my, fiery aren't you?" came a chapped voice. Kaoru froze at its familiarity and found herself staring up into the blood red eyes of Makoto Shishio.

"Makoto-san" she greeted coldly, allowing her voice to slip into its female baritones for he already knew her identity based on the clothes she was in.

"You remember me don't you my heir?" he replied in the same chapped voice

"What do you want?" she demanded

"Your father"

"My father is dead, you mummy!"

"Mummy?" he asked, voice lined with amusement as he gave a harsh laugh.

"Yes…you do have your mother's spirit. I wonder, how all of us missed it…you do too well a job disguising as a boy young Kaoru…no…do forgive me, Lady Seijiro Ai"

"What?" she asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting her position as a prisoner and the need to tread carefully.

Shishio moved forward from his previous position by the door and lifted her chin with his fingers so that he could have a closer look at her eyes. Kaoru cringed and slapped his hand away with her left hand; in the process, tugging at her injuries there. She wore silently at the pain that wrecked up her left arm.

Shishio laughed once again, returning to his previous position by the opened door. "Careful little Ai" he teased, "Soujiro did not go easy on you and I am sure daddy dearest would hate to have you so badly injured after he finally found you"

"For the last time, what are you talking about?" she snapped, trying to divert her attention from the pain to him in hopes of alleviating it.

"You will understand soon" he replied as he turbed his back to her, walking out of the door to slide it shut.

Kaoru scowled, that bastard had underestimated her. If anything at all Kamiya Kaoru was a fighter and she would etch that fact into his thick almost burnt skull. Ignoring the funny bits of information he had told her as a case of sorely mistaken identity, she forced herself up and winced at the pain that seared her body – she had a debt to pay to TenKen and she really hoped that he was in as much pain as she was. They had underestimated her tolerance to pain and left the door unlocked and her unchained. Escape would be so much easier if she was not wearing a kimono, it was so restrictive! But it helped slowed her pace down as she crept silently through the slowly lightening corridors. Sunlight was coming in, dawn had approached. Attempting to get her bearings, she followed the path of the sunrays, pushing open the door that seemed to keep the rays. Ignoring her warrior's instinct that warned her of the ease of the escape in favour of the need for security, she wondered into the room and observed a door by its end. Using the wall as support to move herself, she unknowingly pushed a spring hidden stealthily and unnoticeably in the wall triggering the mechanisms of a dart firing machine. The darts came swiftly and she had to dodge the dozen that came aimed and flying in her direction with an uncooperative body wrapped in restrictive clothes. As the final one hit her on the right shoulder, she cursed as she yanked it out, studying it before the darkness forcibly consumed her mind. Poison.

Seta Soujiro was resting in the medical room when the clinking bamboo strips jolted him up right. They were the alarm that informed inhabitant of the triggering of a booby trap. This particular alarm came from booby trapped room number 26. Dashing off from the medical room, he ran to the direction of room 26 where only one person would be in – Ms Kamiya for everyone else would know what rooms to avoid and how to avoid the traps.

Swearing as he entered the room to find the girl lying crumpled on the floor, he promptly picked her up bridal style and dashed to the medical room. Yumi would not be pleased that one of her kimonos, albeit hated one, was stained with poison filled blood. If she doesn't live, Shishio will have his head on the platter for he was in charge of watching over her.

The mansion in the cave was built to be maze-like and illusionary. It was filled with 50 booby trapped rooms and 20 functional rooms; which meant more traps than functional rooms. No one who entered the cave without some knowledge of its blue print survived their journey. This was the reason why her door had been unlocked arrogantly. At least she had got the mild room 26 instead of the spiked room 28 down the corner or the crumbling cliffs of room 13 down the hallway. It was still treatable.

As Soujiro watched Kaoru fight for her life and eventually stabilise in the hands of the doctors after a mere 8 hour interlude since her last battle, he found himself intrigued by the girl and slowly began to respect her, a feat no one but Makoto Shishio had attained from him. She managed to dodge 11 of the 12 fired at her in the state she was in, a worth vice-captain indeed. After securing from the doctors that she would live and the drugs feed to her during the process of treatment would keep her unconscious for the next 8 hours till the evening, he picked her up gently, resting her head against his shoulder and carried her back to his scarcely lit room. In the process, happily ignoring the doctor's demand that he himself rest properly for the sake of his own wounds.

Kicking open the door he noticed the queer position of the pillow by the door frame and kicked it along as the approached the futon, gently laying her down legs first than her back. His right hand supporting her head as he tucked the pillow beneath her head on the futon and allowed her head to rest upon it. Tucking the lose strands of hair behind her ear and pulling the covers around her, he move over to the right hand corner of the room and settled himself down in a sitting position with his back leaning against the wall. He had no more duties till the night when the Lord of Mitsurugi Manor came and until then, he shall stay in the room with her. If she woke up before the 8 hours, he would be around to knock her out before she did something foolish again.

--

A/N: in this fic, Shishio is older than Kenshin by 5 years. So he is pretty familiar with Hiko's family and is also part of the reason why he betrayed the Mitsurugi Manor. He felt that he was not well-recognised and appreciated.

Yippee! Next up, chp 4…


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own RK.

--

Night was taking forever to come. Lord Hiko Seijiro had grilled Aoshi during the midday to verify the truth for he had taken actions based on impulse rather than fact during their meeting in the twilight hours of the morning. Shinomori Aoshi had replied an affirmative to Shishio's claim and referred him to the elderly woman who was the head of the household in the main Mitsurugi Manor. The elderly woman had resided in Kaoru's village in Nagasaki, former head of the servants in the palace during the reign of the monarch and confidante to Kaoru's foster father, Kamiya Koshijiro. She had been the mother of a recently departed heroic soldier during their raids on Houshi Manor and had hence been allowed to stay in the Mitsurugi mansion to watch over its household running. Hiko did not know whether to thank Kamiya Koshijiro, an ex minister to the past monarchy, for raising his daughter in such a strong and independent way or to hate him for not returning her to his side during his years of search. He sighed and went off to embark on his guaranteed method of stress relied – sparring with his baka deshi.

"Kenshin" he bellowed from the veranda overlooking the courtyard where the soldiers trained.

Kenshin whipped his head up and turned to face an annoyed Hiko from his position at the centre of the courtyard. Giving instructions to Sano who was now the next in charge, Kenshin left the courtyard and approached his shissou.

"Shissou" he acknowledged, as he climbed up the steps onto the veranda, bowing as he met his Lord and teacher. It was only when they were alone was he allowed to address Hiko so.

"Dojo" was the sole word Hiko murmured and began walking in its direction. Kenshin followed after him, he knew better then to argue with his shissou when Hiko was in one of his moods.

They sparred seriously, each treating the other as an enemy to be vanquished and sustained cuts and bruises. At the end of the sparring session, both master and student treated their cuts with the balm on the shelf at the front of the dojo in silence.

"You said her during the meeting" muttered Hiko, breaking the stifling silence.

"Yes," came Kenshin's reply after the momentary pause as he closed the balm and returned it to the shelf.

"How long did you know?"

"I only knew Kaoru was a girl after we conquered Houshi, I had my suspicions on her identity though"

"And you did not discuss it with me?"

"You would have killed her then. She would not resist death by your orders"

"You think I will kill my only daughter?"

Kenshin remained silent at Hiko's question, his eyes trained on the shelf where he had placed the balm, never shifting till the door of the dojo slid open and shut, signaling Lord Seijiro's departure. He could not answer his master's question.

--

Kaoru stirred once again on that futon and let out a groan, when she realised where she was. Attempting yet again to get up from her lying position, she was expectedly greeted by pain and an unexpected voice.

"I don't think you should get up"

Reaching for her pillow which had retuned once again to her side, she flung it in the direction of the voice in a sudden motion, this time successfully hitting the figure in the face. Soujiro blinked, momentarily losing his grin for the 2nd time around her in 2 days. Did she just hit him with a pillow?

"Who is that?" she demanded, her senses dulled by the drugs and her voice raspy. The blasted room was poorly lit with only candles by the side of her futon and dimming sun rays from the door – it was late afternoon now.

"Seta Soujiro" Soujiro supplied helpfully, the grin returning to his face as he moved closer to her futon so that the candle light highlighted his face. She had by then, managed to pull herself into an upright position.

"TenKen" growled Kaoru in response, "I really hope you are in as much pain as I am"

Soujiro laughed at that and shocked Kaoru for a moment for it was not a harsh cruel laugh but one of merriment. He had never laughed back in the days they spent together in Mitsurugi Manor.

"Now," he teased, "Is this how you thank your saviour?"

"Thank? You want me to thank you?" snapped Kaoru, "Honestly, what has the mummy taught you? I am dead certain mercy is not one of them. What is it that you want from me?"

"Information"

"Don't see a torture chamber here"

"Bargains"

"What?"

"I am sure Shishio-sama told you that-"

"That he wants my father who happens to be 6 feet below and decomposing"

"You wish for death then?"

"I do not shy away from it. It follows me everywhere I go"

"Yet you fought to live"

Kaoru fell silent at his statement. She did not know how to rebut that statement but her strong pride would not allow Soujiro to win this argument.

"As would you," she replied sharply, looking him in the eye after a brief second of silence, "and any other man in a similar situation"

Soujiro's face remained constant throughout their conversation. As much as he would like to continue their bickering match just like old times, he had to prepare for the coming of the Mitsurugi Manor. He had to get his own wounds treated and healed to minimise the handicap he would face if the need of battle should arise.

"Drink this" he stated, pointing to the cup lying at the top of the futon. Kaoru turned her head around to see the cup of cold tea resting at the edge of the futon and scowled.

"No way, it is cold" she replied even though her dry throat was screaming for moisture. Her instincts demanded she stayed consciously away from enemy food and water. Besides, she was not too fond of cold tea.

Soujiro picked up the cup with his left hand and with the same smile and swift skill succeeded to force the raging girl to swallow the tea using a move doctors used to force feed their patients. Kaoru gagged and choked on the liquid that was welcomed by her dry throat. Coughing and sputtering, she pushed against Soujiro who had held her close to his chest by an arm wrapped carefully around her slim waist avoiding her wounds.

"Scoundrel, cad, mud pool, pig…"she cursed as she coughed, trying desperately to force the liquid out of her system. Then her vision blurred and her instincts triumphed in the fact that they were right. "Low life prick" she slurred as she wavered from her upright sitting position and collapsed into Soujiro's awaiting arms, falling into defeated unconsciousness.

Resting her body back on the futon, Soujiro got up to retrieve the pillow for the second time and lifted her head gently to tuck the pillow underneath it. Brushing the rogue locks of hair that covered her face and tucking them behind her ear, he admired her sleeping face before standing up and leaving the room to prepare for the arrival of the Mitsurugi Manor.

--

As Lord Seijiro and his 2 other captains approached, they were greeted by Lady Yumi. Bowing in respect, she said simply, "My Lord expects you; please follow me carefully for the cave fortress is doom to those who do not know the way." Upon crossing over several booby trapped rooms which still held the bodies of its victims, Kenshin fervently hoped that spunky Kaoru had not tried to escape the cave. (Well, we all know she had).

Approaching the grand hall where Makoto Shishio awaited, the men settled down in the cushions prepared for them. The sole female, in the room which was brightly lit by dozens of candles, was Yumi and she was happily seated beside Shishio. Kaoru was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?" demanded Lord Seijiro, "I will only commence talks when I see her"

Shishio merely snapped his fingers in reply and the main door once again slid open to reveal Soujiro carrying an unconscious Kaoru in a bridal style. Soujiro walked in calmly, ignoring the intense gaze he was receiving from each of the men from the Mitsurugi Manor and settled himself down beside Shishio. Shifting his hold of Kaoru so that she was now cradled in his arms with her head rested against his chest as he sat in a kneeling position. Kenshin growled at the intimacy of Soujiro's position to Kaoru and wanted nothing more but to sheathe his sword and embed it into TenKen's heart when that annoying smile of Soujiro's widened at his reaction.

"Pretty little thing isn't she?" commented Shishio as he smirked at the 3 glaring men who had silently eyed the unconscious girl. Yumi let out a low noise of disproval at Shishio's comment and at the blood stain that was on her kimono that rested in Kaoru's body.

"What have you done to her?" came Hiko's low and dangerous voice

"Induced her into a state of unconsciousness. Her wounds are pretty bad from battle and triggering the little booby traps around here" replied Shishio smoothly. "Don't worry daddy dearest," mocked Shishio as he saw lines of worry seeping through the usual stoic man's face, "your little girl will be kept safe"

"What do you want?" snarled Hiko

"Alliance," Shishio replied, "I am all too aware of what Lord Amakusa's intentions are and I know my own military strength. Dear captain here saw to it that I lost half of my soldiers and vice-captain destroyed a good quarter of my supplies. I will be the eventual ruler of Japan."

"Did you think I will serve you?"

"No…but I did think you would not want your little girl harmed. She does have her mother's spirit and pretty eyes you know."

Hiko fumed, Shishio had got him right where he wanted. Helpless. If it was someone else, including his baka deshi (Hiko doubted this possibility); he would have gladly sacrificed the fool. But this was his daughter – all he had left in this world. He could and would not lose her again. The 2 captains who sat behind him knew his eventual answer and closed their eyes, not wanting to witness the defeat of their proud Lord. Hiko opened his mouth to form the words when jingles of bamboo were heard. It was then that Kaoru began to awake once more, slowing taking in the events.

Shishio and Soujiro looked around the room and frowned. "You did not comply with the rules!" hissed Shishio as he stood up, clutching his sword. The cave shook with cannon fire and screams could be heard. An attack was commencing.

"It is not me!" snarled Hiko angry at the sudden change of situation. He too stood up clutching his sword. The cave shook with cannon fire once again and the many candles that served to illuminate the room began to tilt and fall on the wooden floor boards, setting the hall a blaze.

Yumi beckoned away and headed for the secret passage way hidden behind the screen of the great hall. "Stay behind me" whispered Soujiro as he got up from his sitting position with Kaoru, gently pushing her behind him.

Cannon fire came yet again and in a cave such as the one there were in, it could mean its collapse. They had to get out. Kenshin, Soujiro, Hiko and Shishio however readied for battle. In the flurry of rocks that came tumbling down and the fire that began raging, their battle was forcibly stopped. Kaoru had dodged away from the rocks with great difficulty thanks to the kimono and her injuries. By some stroke of luck, in the process of doing so, she had managed to come to Kenshin's side. She did not know whether that the stroke of luck was good or bad for he had shot her an odd look and yanked her by the wrist away towards the main doors of the blazing hall almost painfully, carefully avoiding the crumbling rocks.

Making a dash on a path which he had memorised from the blueprint Aoshi had managed to obtain in redemption of Shishio's cave mansion. Whichever idiot who was firing the cannons, Kenshin did not know whether to thank him or to swear at him. Racing through the steps, they finally reached a small clearing which was guarded securely by Aoshi's team and his battalions of men. The both of them were panting hard by this time and were wounded but still remained standing. Kenshin's grip on Kaoru's wrist was still firm.

"Himura-san. I-" she was cut off by Kenshin's lips pressing against hers in a desperate kiss. Her eyes widened. She had meant to explain her situation, give her thanks and accept her eventual fate but he had caught her totally off guard.

Pulling back slightly, he released her wrist and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and rested his chin on her left shoulder, effectively hiding his face from her gaze. "Don't say anything" he softly implored, closing his eyes and savouring the feel of her in his arms. He was conveniently ignoring the emerging presence of Lord Seijiro and Doctor Gensai as well as the omni-presence of the many spies Aoshi had stationed there, along with Misao.

--

Shishio and Soujiro emerged scarred and wounded. The cave had collapsed and along with Yumi, they were the sole survivors. Shishio let out a cry of anguish and out of the darkness that surrounded them, 3 swords were pointed at each of their necks.

"Shishio" came the voice of the owner of the sword which was pointed at Shishio's neck.

"Lord Amakusa" snarled Shishio, his eyes burning with rage.

"You found her and you harmed her" stated Lord Amakusa Shuugei coldly.

Silence prevailed for a moment and Lord Amakusa's lips thinned into a snarl as he loped off Shishio's head in a single stroke, earning a loud shriek from Yumi. The same was done with TenKen but Yumi was spared for she would be pleasurable company for the men who served well this night. Leaving the bodies by the clearing, the men and their Lord faded into the darkness.

--

A/N: Next up the final chapter! I apologise for any spelling and grammatical errors. They are purely unintentional. )

I am not sure if I am the only one feeling this way but the story is beginning to take on a more crappy turn, which is unintended. Urgh. I may re-write it in the near future, for now though, I need to have at least the outline out here before my muses die and I forget the idea entirely. Really sorry if it has become a letdown. .


	5. Chapter 5

Standard disclaimers apply….I don't own RK

--

To say that Kaoru was upset would be an understatement. Ever since the Shishio fiasco a good 2 months ago, she had been declared dead as vice-captain and became the celebrated return of Seijiro Ai – Lord Seijiro's daughter, which she had initially no recollection off. The past months of therapy and treatment with Doctor Gensai, the physician who had helped deliver her, had resulted in brief memories of darkness, screams, fear and a loving pair of parents which the fever had taken. She did not know whether to rejoice in the reacquisition of the memories whose lost had previously made her feel insecure or to wish that they never returned at all. For all intents and purposes, the life she had as Kamiya Kaoru was now dead in the name of survival again (which ironically had been born out of her need to survive at that point in her life). If her deceit was made public, her father would be forced to execute her. Only the captains and Sano knew of her secret.

She was no longer allowed to wave swords or bokkens anymore and was shut in the house for feminine education, for she was of marriageable age and yet could not cook a proper decent meal. She had nothing to wear but those ridiculously restrictive kimonos and was not allowed to hold her hair up in its fighter styled ponytail. It was to be let down and left half tied with a hair ribbon – the style for young single ladies. She could still handle these changes to some extent. What she had trouble coming to terms was potential marriage with her former captain and appointed heir – Himura Kenshin. As Hiko's sole daughter, the Mitsurugi Manor would be handled to her husband when Lord Seijiro retires (usually due to death) but with the incident a good 12 years ago, Himura had been appointed the new heir and marriage was the sole solution to avoid a potential succession crisis. Himura obviously did not mind but she – she did not know how she truly felt. Yes, she admired, respected and understood Himura Kenshin but that did not equate to love, sure, she was willing to die for him but that did not equate to love, did it?

"Seijiro sama! Seijiro Ai sama!" cracked an elderly woman's voice, the head of household of the Mitsurugi mansion, Aoshi's informant and Kaoru's foster father's long time friend.

"H-Hai" she responded, snapping out of her study induced daze. It was taking a long time for her to learn to respond to her new name. The hot afternoon was to be blamed and while she generally did not daze during lessons, this one on how a virtuous woman should behave was a plain pain and condescending to the female sex. Dazing off during lessons was the most subtle form of rebellion. If she had free reign, it would cease to exist in society.

"From the beginning Seijiro sama!" demanded the elderly woman.

"A virtuous woman harbors no greed or envy…"began Kaoru in a monotone, mentally sharpening a knife to travel back in time to kill Confucius.

--

Himura Kenshin had just emerged from his meeting with his new vice captain, Sano. Tsukini Manor had 2 months ago sent them a letter consisting of the deed to the land of Hiou and information if their Lord and his son's arrival this very day. Sano and he had been tasked to keep on alert and ready their defences. Lord Amakusa Shuugei, foe and once ally of Lord Hiko Seijiro would be arriving in 15 minutes.

Walking over to the room, where Kaoru, no, Ai was having her lessons in the grace of femininity, he knocked on the door signaling his arrival. He had a quiet chuckle as he heard Kaoru's voice suddenly change from its monotone to a happy one, rapidly finishing off the last line on what a virtuous wife should be and the elderly woman's note of dissent. The door slid open and Kaoru, no, Ai slipped out in relief.

"All the sudden I love Lord Amakusa" remarked Kaoru as they began walking in pace with one another towards the gates of the main Mitsurugi mansion through the interconnecting verandas of each building.

"I-" he began but was interrupted by a sharp voice of the elderly woman cutting through the air.

"Seijiro sama! Seijiro Ai sama! Your walking!"

Kaoru groaned as she halted in her steps. Right, she was walking with too much noise again and in the same pace as a male, whom a virtuous woman should always follow behind. Kenshin too halted in his steps and raised a questioning brow. Kaoru glared at him and bit out, "Walk. Before. Me" Kenshin could not help but to break into soft laughter, earning a stronger glare from Kaoru. She was upset already as it was now. When he did not stop, she swatted him hard on the shoulder and the soft laughter erupted into a loud one as he rubbed the sore shoulder.

"Seijiro sama!" cried the elderly woman again as she saw the girl proceed to abuse her husband-to-be, the pair eventually falling on the floor. Sighing in defeat, the elderly woman returned to her duties. Seijiro Ai's mother had been spirited and while she did not have problems abiding by the rules of formality for women, she did had an affectionate habit of scaling walls, which was really how she met Lord Hiko Seijiro.

Still laughing as he pinned her down onto the floor of the veranda with his hands on her wrists which lay on each side of her head, Kaoru shot him her death glare, which in the past has the ability to freeze a soldier. Stopping himself slowly, he leaned forward till his bangs touched hers and whispered as he looked into her eyes, "I win"

"If it wasn't for these clothes, I would have won" defended Kaoru

He smiled again.

"It is not funny!" chastised Kaoru, "You try being submissive…this is ridiculous!"

"Who said I want you to be submissive?"

She blinked and opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind when his lips clasped upon hers for the 2nd time. Closing her eyes slowly, Kaoru began to kiss him back shyly, opening up to allow his wondering tongue to slip in. Vaguely noticing his removal of her wrist, she deftly slid them across his cheeks to bury them in his flaming locks she had liked since the first time she saw him as Kamiya Kaoru, Yes, she loved him. She knew for certain now.

"Ahem" came a playful voice snapping the both of them out of their kiss to face a grinning Sano. Kaoru blushed furiously as she pushed Kenshin away from her, staring intently on the floor boards of the veranda.

"What?" came Kenshin's annoyed voice as he ran a hand through his bangs and hair to tame the loosened strands.

"Lord Amakusa is arriving in 5 minutes and Lord Seijiro is waiting for the both of you to show up…he is rather annoyed you know" replied Sano, his goofy grin still etched on his face. "Seriously, captain-san,"he continued, ignoring the scowl Kaoru was giving him, "aren't you glad I came instead of daddy? Otherwise, he will Hiten Mitsurugi your butt! Seriously, keep some for the marriage in 2 weeks time, which is what I did with Megumi…"

Kenshin ignored Sano's comments as he helped Kaoru on to her feet, dragging her by the hand to keep the same pace as Sano and himself to reach the gate and take up their respective positions. The gate drew open and Lord Amakusa and his son entered. Silenece fell.

--

"Hiko" addressed Lord Amakusa

"Shuugei" acknowledged Lord Hiko Seijiro, barely concealing his hatred for the man.

"This is little Ai then," he asked smiling serenely at Kaoru who stood behind her father, bowing he acknowledgement. "She looks just like her mother" he commented, reaching out with his right hand to pat Kaoru's head in an affectionate manner. Hiko growled at this as he snatched Lord Amakusa's hand away from Kaoru's head.

"Inside" Hikoe bit out irritably.

Lord Amakusa nodded and followed Hiko in with the few men he came with. His son however, stayed behind and gave Kaoru a thoughtful look.

--

"What do you want?" asked Lord Seijiro bluntly as the men of both sides settled down sitting across one another in the grand hall of the Mitsurugi Mansion.

"Now, now Hiko, can't my visit be a purely cordial one? I just came to see if my little girl is doing well" replied Lord Amakusa smoothly.

"It is never cordial with you and she is not your daughter"

"She would have been if that fool of an emperor had not bestowed Kya's hand to you!" Amakusa hissed, "I swore I would make him pay for that and I did. I contemplated plans of making you suffer the way I did, knowing that your child should have been mine. I combed the lands daily for her and even had Shishio keep a look out for her but for some disgusting reason, she must somehow find her way to your side!"

The men in the room remained silent at this outburst. Without a doubt, they knew it was Lord Amakusa who had helped in the fall of the past monarchy, bombarded Shishio's hideout and killed Shishio. Makoto Shishio truly never considered the consequences of his actions.

Collecting himself after his outburst, Lord Amakusa slipped back into a relaxed posture, "Now, aren't you tired of constant war Hiko?"

"What?"

"I propose we end it. I control the north and you the south. How about we end it all with matrimony? Little Ai with my son"

Hiko clenched his jaw at this; his captains behind him began shifting. He did not have to be a genius to know that his baka deshi was seething with anger.

"Ai is engaged to marry the captain of my military" he replied coldly. No way was he going to let his daughter call that fool with long let down brown hair and eyes 'father' for the rest of her married life.

"Is that so?"

"Yes"

"This is an opportunity to end the war in the manner of least bloodshed, I am sure Kya would have wanted it…I will take good care of her"

--

Kaoru wondered along the bridge that acted as a passage way between the living quarters of the soldiers and that of the officers, which were separated by a small river. Ignoring the silent idiot of a son of Lord Amakusa who followed a good 5 steps behind her. Soon, she could take no longer.

"How long are you going to follow me good sir?"

"Father says to keep you company" he replied

Kaoru rolled her eyes at that. "Alright then, what is your name?"

"Amakusa Shogo"

"Why do you have to keep me company? Don't say it is because of your father's orders."

"You are going to be my future bride"

"You are dillusional…I am to marry Kenshin in 2 weeks"

"Not unless you want war"

Kaoru paused for a moment before giving him an answer, "We are in war"

That was the same answer Hiko gave to a fuming Lord Amakusa, which resulted in deeper hatred between the 2 as Lord Amakusa left.

--

Most certainly much bloodshed could be avoided if Kaoru had married the son of Lord Amakusa. But the report Shinomori Aoshi had delivered at meeting at dawn that very day, had indicated a beginning of the crumble of the Tsukini Manor. Lord Amakusa was as corrupt as he was cunning and smart. This was part of the reason why the late emperor had chosen Lord Seijiro Hiko over Lord Amakusa Shuugei. Mergence with the Tsukini Manor while good in the short term will ultimately be detrimental and lead to to an outbreak of yet another period of war. This time though, with different Manors. Lord Seijiro Hiko will be honest – he did not want to lose power at all. All they had to do was enjoy the celebration of marriage and wait for the ripe time to obtain Tsukini Manor.

They were after all, living in the feudal era of warlords and warriors. Survival takes up so many forms – life and power. A complicated strategy to a deceptively simple game.

--

A/N: This is it! The end! Thanks to the many who reviewed and followed the story faithfully. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I had writing it.


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